Planning approved for $150m mixed-use development project in Geelong

06 Aug, 2018

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Image of 44 Ryrie Street courtesy of Franze Developments.

Franzé Developments has secured planning approval from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning for a new $150 million Geelong development, which is set to become the largest mixed-use project in the region.

Located at 44 Ryrie Street within the Geelong Activity Centre Zone in Victoria, the 2,700 square metre gateway site will comprise 1,000 square metres ground floor retail, 7,400 square metres office space, 24 residential apartments and a 180-bed hotel. The site for the project was purchased from John Orchard for $7 million in 2017.

Last year it was announced that global hotel operator, the InterContinental Group, had signed a 20-year management agreement to operate the 180-bed hotel. The $75 million Holiday Inn Hotel will be the first in all of Australia and will be the largest new hotel project within the region in almost 20 years. The Holiday Inn Hotel will include an all-day dining restaurant and bar, swimming pool, gym, parking and 300 square metres of meeting facilities, including a function room for 250 people.

Paul Franzé, Founder and Managing Director of Franzé Developments has shared that he is ‘thrilled’ to receive planning approval for the gateway site since Geelong is developing into the region’s epicenter for retail, tourism and employment due to its strong population and economic growth.

“Our vision for the Ryrie Street site is to deliver a truly mixed-use project that responds to the Central Geelong Action Plan which will see Geelong evolve from its manufacturing roots to a city of culture and innovation. Geelong is now one of Australia’s fastest growing regional cities, with population expected to grow by more than 150,000 people in the next 20 years, and the urban environment and amenity needs to respond accordingly,” Franzé said.

44 Ryrie Street rendering courtesy of Franze Developments.

“Geelong has a diverse and strong economy with over 17,000 businesses and a highly skilled labour force. It continues to attract new residents and investment due to its livability and proximity to Melbourne, combined with increasing employment opportunities and affordability,” he also commented.

Leading architecture studio Architectus, in collaboration with world-renowned architect Ateliers Jean Nouvel, have been appointed by Franzé Developments to form the project’s design team, with Hansen Partnership managing the project’s urban planning.

The new development, which will be located on a prominent corner at the intersection of Ryrie and Fenwick Streets, will boast a design which according to Franzé, will recognise Geelong’s rich history and embrace its future direction, aiming to build on the character and amenity of the neighbouring landscape.

“The design of 44 Ryrie Street draws upon the history of both the city and the site. The materiality, rhythm and scaling of the building references the iconic wool stores of Geelong, and the grain of the city’s rich heritage fabric. Creating an active mixed-use development that incorporates a hotel, residences, office and a vibrant retail ground plane, the project stitches seamlessly into the adjacent cultural precinct and builds on the investment in the area to become a gateway to Geelong’s city centre,” commented Matthew Smith, Managing Principal at Architectus.

Offices and apartments within 44 Ryrie Street will have access to communal outdoor spaces, and a vertical green wall facing Ryrie Street will create a picturesque backdrop for the tower’s plaza and connect the planting from ground level to the podium terraces.

Demolition on the site is officially underway, and construction is scheduled to commence in late 2018, with completion forecast for mid-2020.

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